It is very expensive to acquire seismic data in marine environments. The cost of mobilizing vessels, equipment and people can run in the several hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per day. Thus, once the survey is started, there is a lot of pressure to acquire data twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. A problem arises when another survey crew is collecting data in the same general area at the same time. The two operations may contaminate one another and be forced to work out a time sharing arrangement where only one crew acquires data for a period of time and then waits while the other crew takes a turn. It is common to time share seismic data collection in the North Sea off of northwest Europe and in the Gulf of Mexico among other areas.
A second concern in the collection of seismic data in marine environments is harm, injury or irritation of whales and other marine life due to the intensity of the energy coming off the seismic sources. Air guns are traditionally used in an array to generate a single pulse powerful enough to get echo returns from deep below the seafloor. The power of these pulses in the water is presumed to be at least annoying to sea animals that use echo location like whales, dolphins and others. Seismic surveying techniques may cause these animals to leave the area and some believe that it may be harmful to sea life.
A solution is needed for each of these issues. A solution for both would be particularly well received.